Upon seeing Ashley Morrow, it seems as though she could ball you up and throw you as far as she would like, much like she does with shot puts, discuses and hammers.

But then come the hugs.

The junior track and field thrower is widely known for her hugs, which range from a nice, polite hug to a massive, bear hug.

She starts off with a simple handshake and then judges the person to see if they can handle the big hug, just as long as she doesn’t crack anyone’s back.

“I hate cracking backs,” Morrow said. “I’m afraid I’ll break their back.”

The truth is, Morrow might be the only NIU athlete afraid of hurting people.

Morrow talks about what not to throw indoors because it could hurt somebody. She talks about how she would like to play football, but doesn’t, because, once again, she might hurt someone.

“That’s why I stick to track,” Morrow said. “I know I can’t hurt anybody.”

Sticking to track probably was the best idea for Morrow.

She holds four school records for indoor and outdoor throwing, one shy of owning all the records.

Morrow also was the first Huskie named to an All-MAC team when she was second team as a freshman in 2004.

This season, Marrow consistently has placed herself in the top 10 in each throwing category.

At the end of the indoor season, Morrow collected three second-place finishes and had a fifth-place finish at the MAC Indoor Championships.

In two outdoor meets, Morrow has two top-five finishes and is looking to gather more as NIU travels to Naperville to compete in the outdoor Chicagoland Championships Saturday.

Coach Connie Teaberry says the team always comes into this week with a lot of confidence because of the closeness of the meet.

“It’s basically a home meet,” Teaberry said. “A lot of families of the team come and watch.”

Teaberry and Morrow both agreed the outdoor season is preferred over indoor.

“Outdoor, I’m more relaxed for some reason,” Morrow said.

Teaberry said coaches prefer the outdoor season because the track is longer and the turns are not as tight.

The Huskies won the indoor Chicagoland Championships, winning six events and setting two school records.

The 4×200 meter team of seniors Angela Thomas, Ajahnae Hinley and Alexis Johnson, and junior Lorene Skipper beat the old school record by nearly five seconds and won the event.